Stop Motion
by spring13
Summary: "The gentle chill of an autumn breeze blew past me, sending strands of pink hair dancing across my face, catching on mascara and lip-gloss. All dolled up with no place to go." Controlled like stop motion, Sakura fights to heal the scars that she once thought were irreparable.
1. Chapter 1 - Now

_Explicit and implied content may be triggering for some readers._

* * *

The gentle chill of an autumn breeze blew past me, sending strands of pink hair dancing across my face, catching on mascara and lip-gloss. _All dolled up with no place to go_. A shiver passed down my spine, full of anticipation for what was to come. Bare toes gripped the edge of the rooftop, but only half-heartedly. Konoha was spread out before me, an expanse of buildings, and memories.

Nostalgia overwhelmed me as I remembered before my life had lurched into the darkness, before I had been manipulated and tainted with regrets. Most of all, I thought of you, Sasuke. I thought of the hope that you brought me. I thought of the afternoons spent together, dreaming of futures that would never come. We would talk about anything and everything, not caring about the topic, because it was only the company of the other that mattered.

_No_. It was silly to think about what could be, what could have been. Thoughts drifted back to the times before you, Sasuke, when I lost myself to darkness. Cold hands gripping in the darkness, arguments spiraling downward, tears falling without pattern, and blood staining through the last remnants of light. I felt a rush of nausea, as I became light headed from the memories.

Everything that I held dear to myself was gone, and I was nothing but a shell of my former self, and soon I would be nothing more than a faint whisper in the wind. My heart skipped a beat. I felt myself jerk back, but I reassured myself. I wanted this.

I prepared myself, and leaned tentatively forward. _Just a little more_. I felt a breeze give the final push behind me, as I fell over the edge. A faint smile fell upon my lips, and my eyes closed gently, as I embraced the nothingness that would follow. All I wanted was to be numb, to stop remembering, to stop hurting.

I felt a hand catch upon my wrist, just as I was departing the rooftop, just as I was leaving all of my sorrows behind. My body jerked from the tension, dangling over emptiness, as my arm held me to this world. I felt myself pulled back to solid ground, and looked up to see ebony eyes glaring down upon me. _Sasuke._


	2. Chapter 2 - Then

I first met Sasuke Uchiha during junior shinobi training, the beginning of my descent. I had not noticed him much then. Though we were both in the same grade, and many of the same courses, our paths had never crossed. Or I had just never given him that much interest. It wasn't until advanced shinobi training, that I began to give him more attention.

* * *

Entering the beginning of three years of advanced kunoichi training, I was ready. I was going to get top marks, join all of the best clubs, and get accepted into the anbu black ops academy for medical ninjas. Three years was forever away though, and I began my first year, as all other first-years did, waiting in line for my schedule at 7 in the morning. Next to me stood my childhood friend, Ino Yamanaka.

Nothing was quite as bizarre as the difference in appearance between me and Ino. I had flawed, freckled skin, while she had flawless, pale skin that glowed from mineral treatments from her family's shop. I still looked like a little boy, hoping for adolescence to finally give me a feminine appearance; and Ino was curvaceous, always allowing a hint of cleavage to show through her netted blouse. She also kept her long blonde hair tied up, exposing a long neck; I kept my frizzy pink hair down, with only a red ribbon keeping it behind my ears. I envied Ino, but I would never let her know it. One never lets a rival know any weakness.

Once we received our schedules, we compared them, of course. "Hn," Ino scoffed. "Genjutsu, Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Bukijutsu, Fuinjutsu, and– What about Medical Ninjutsu, Sakura?" Her voice tormented me, as she let out each syllable of my name as if it was its own word. I frantically looked over my schedule, in hopes that she had missed something. _Genjutsu, Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Bukijutsu, Fuinjutsu… It's not there!_

"It must be a m- mistake," I stammered nervously. I looked over at Ino's schedule, while she watched me begin to tremble. Everything was the same, but on Ino's perfect schedule was the elusive course listing: Medical Ninjutsu. I blinked back tears of embarrassment. "I'll check with Iruka-sensei," I muttered as I quickly hurried off. There had to be a mistake. There was no way that Ino had gotten into my first-choice elective and I hadn't!

As soon as Ino was out of sight, I began to run, my heart racing. I irrationally feared that, if I didn't get to Iruka-sensei quickly enough, I would never get into Medical Ninjutsu. Out of breath, and with beads of sweat beginning to form on my brow, I reached the administration doors. I quickly composed myself, wiping my forehead dry, and walked into the office.

Iruka sat at his desk, head in one hand, muttering under his breath, "Gah! Naruto!" He continued to mumble.

"Um, Iruka-sensei." He looked up from his paperwork and motioned for me to come forward. "Um, I don't have Medical Ninjutsu on my schedule." I handed him my schedule and held my breath.

Iruka looked over the paper that, simple to him, was the key to my future. He chuckled, "Sakura Haruno. You _would_ be the one to come in asking for more classes." My cheeks flushed pink and I opened my mouth to explain. "No need. I'll sort this out." He went into a back room, and then returned to hand me back a new schedule. There it was: Medical Ninjutsu 8AM. I finally let out the stale air building in my lungs, quickly thanked Iruka-sensei, and ran out the door, excited to show Ino that I was just as good – no, better – than her.

* * *

I took a seat at the front of the classroom and took all of necessary note-taking supplies out of my knapsack. I looked around. Ino sat in the front beside me, but she was preoccupied with Sasuke, flirting while sticking her obnoxiously large chest forward. Naruto was in the back of the classroom, and obviously looked like he didn't belong there. _He'll probably drop the course within a week_.

Hinata sat in the corner, fidgeting with her sweater sleeve. Haku was staring out of the window, as usual, probably dreaming of Zabuza who had left Haku earlier that year for mercenary work. Deidara and Shino were busy drawing schematics of what looked like an explosive bee hive; and Tenten was busy twirling a kunai around her finger, no doubt in an attempt to impress Neji.

The walls were covered in posters of human anatomy, ranging from just the muscular or skeletal system, to combinations of systems. One wall was lined with shelves, each one with a nametag preprinted so as to identify the owner. I noticed that my own name was missing, but made a mental note to add it to the empty shelf at the end closest to the instructor's desk.

The back of the room had standard lab benches, equipped with faucets, and undoubtedly stocked with chemical and dissection supplies. We wouldn't just be working with our own chakra; we would also be working with situations more common in battle. I had read historical accounts of medical ninja who had run out of chakra while attempting to heal every teammate's wounds, and then didn't have enough to defend against another wave of enemy attacks. This course preparation would surely assist us to balance when to use chakra and when to use basic tools.

My eyes continued to wander around the classroom until the instructor walked in. His silver hair and nonchalant appearance made Kakashi-sensei stand out among the other instructors. He looked just like any other student, because you couldn't recognize facial features or signs of age behind his mask and headband. He walked to the center of the teaching area and then stopped to look at his pupils.

His eyes tracked each and every one of us, but when he got to me, I felt my blood chill. My heart raced, and I felt a rush of adrenaline. I gulped down the fear, and stared back. _Did his eyes linger at me for longer than the rest?_ I shook away the thought, attributing it to first-day nervousness, and looked down at my notebook, breaking his gaze.

I wondered what secrets hid behind his mask. Had he been horribly disfigured during battle, and was hiding behind the navy cloth? Or was he simply adorning himself in mystery? I had never seen the famous copy ninja other than in passing in the busy streets of Konoha. I had never made eye contact with him, nor had I ever expected him to be our sensei for Medical Ninjutsu.

"Okay delinquents," Kakashi sighed, "Today is just an introduction. Take a syllabus." He walked through the two rows of five students each, handing out a small stack of papers. Whilst I took mine, our fingers brushed against each other, and I felt a spark of tension run between us. I inhaled sharply, trying not to appear flustered, but I was sure that he noticed. He snickered softly to himself and walked back to the front of the room.

I wondered then why I had noticed these things about Kakashi-sensei, but I wouldn't realize until it was far to late. Kakashi read us the syllabus and answered our questions before releasing us early for the morning. As I walked down the adjoining hallway, I chatted with Ino as if nothing had happened, not letting on to the secret moment between me and our sensei. Even then, I could feel someone watching me leave the classroom, watching, like a predator stalking its prey.


	3. Chapter 3 - Now

I looked up to see ebony eyes glaring down upon me. _Sasuke._ His eyes were cold, but glistened with the sheen of developing tears. He pulled my face into his chest and wrapped his arms around me. I could feel his warm body full of tremors, matching his racing heartbeat. Nausea engulfed my senses and I felt myself sink into unconsciousness.

* * *

I awoke to the soft beeping of a heart monitor and tubes attached at various points on my body. My eyes opened slowly, unaccustomed to the bright lights of my new hospital room. Looking down, I saw that I had been adorned in a plain hospital gown, and my pink hair lay tangled limply at my side.

I turned to face my left. A large window looked out onto the courtyard of the Konoha medical center. It looked to be about midday, as birds freely passed across a high-hanging sun. Rock Lee limped across a training path across the courtyard, accompanied by a nurse. I turned away, unwilling to look at his misfortune.

I turned my head to my right. _Sasuke_. He was hunched forward in his chair, almost touching my face with his own. He reached out and took my right hand in his own. It felt warm, in stark contrast to my own pale fingers tipped with blue. "Sakura," he silently moaned. "Wh-?"

He was cut off by Shizune's entrance. She immediately stated, "I am your nurse for your stay here, Sakura. So, please tell me if you need anything." A feined smile was forced upon her lips, and it was obvious that she was looking down upon me with either pity or disdain. I made no effort to smile back at her as she fervently checked my vitals, changed the I.V. bag hanging above me, and left for the rest of her rounds.

Sasuke's gaze stayed fixed upon me throughout the entire checkup, but I could not return it. I looked everywhere but where he was, though I knew that I would only be able to avoid him as long as Shizune remained in the room. Once she left, the silence weighed upon us, heavy with questions.

Sasuke continued his question. "Why?" A simple word could shatter my world. I was unable to answer him. I knew that there was no appropriate reason behind what I had attempted. I knew that the logical Sakura of the past would scoff at the disconnected thoughts surging through my mind. I looked at him, unable to answer, and was silent. I would remain mute for the rest of the day and through the night, but he would continue to repeat the question: _Why?_

* * *

The next day, Sasuke wasn't there. I closed my eyes, unwilling to confront reality, unwilling to accept that I had been dragged back into this world and that he wasn't even there to help me through it.

* * *

I trudged along the hospital corridor, without any clear destination in mind. I kept my eyes to the floor, recently polished, and didn't look around at the patients and nurses around me. I was permitted to move around freely in my own ward, so long as I didn't stray to the floors above or below. As if I could. The elevators were only accessible with a key. Doors only accessible to hospital personnel also blocked the stairwells.

I felt that I was a prisoner in this ward, but I wondered if I even wanted to leave. It had been at least a week since I saw Sasuke, at least a week since I had been admitted. Meals were served three times per day, and always consisted of the same bland sandwich and fruit. Medications were administered twice per day, with breakfast and dinner; but those were monitored more closely.

Shizune had told me that I was under observation for ten days, before an assessment would be made. _Whatever that means._ Just like I had done to Sasuke, I refused to speak to Shizune, though I would comply with any orders she gave me and would respond with nods or grunts as warranted.

The medication they administered to me dulled my thoughts until they were a consistent haze of greys, but Sasuke still invaded my thoughts. Some nights, his face contorted in pain was the last thing I saw before I fell asleep on my tiny cot. The steady beeping of my monitor would sing me to sleep, while keeping track of the apparatuses that monitored my vitals. _Sasuke, where are you?_ I drifted off to sleep, where the torments of living couldn't bother me, even if only temporarily.

* * *

Tsunade sat across from me, poised in her chair just like any proper authority figure. Her green robes, typical of when she was lecturing at the shinobi academy, had been replaced with grey ones that suited the dull hospital environment. I longed to see those green robes again. She held a pen in one hand and rested a notebook on her leg with the other.

"Sakura," she began, "I presume that you know why you're here." She said this more as a statement than a question. As her top medical student for second year Medical Ninjutsu, I knew very well why anyone would be admitted to the fourth floor ward of the Konoha hospital. The fourth floor had the highest security, other than the basement, which housed the prisoners of battle. The only patients who resided on the fourth floor were the ones that had been deemed a safety threat to their own self.

Tsunade rambled a long list of symptoms, and I drifted off into the grey haze that I had become accustomed to. I didn't need to hear what I already knew. In the haze, Sasuke's face drifted in and out of sight, and I felt an inclination to follow him. I was interrupted by the sharp bark of a frustrated medical director. "Sakura, if you continue to ignore me, I will be forced to leave you in the care of Shizune and the ward!"

I wondered if she was saying this because she didn't want to waste her time on me any more, or if she genuinely cared. But of course she didn't care about me. No one could use a broken medical ninja during battle or at the hospital. And since that was all I had dreamed about, all that I wanted to be, there was no point for me to even leave the ward. I couldn't return to the academy, and I surely wouldn't be admitted to the anbu black ops once they looked through my medical records. I had nothing.

I wondered if Tsunade was disappointed in her star pupil, and considered speaking up. I wanted to tell her everything, to explain why I was so tormented. I wanted to tell her who had done this, who had destroyed any semblance of happiness and a future that I could hold. I wanted her to hunt the monster down, and restore my life to what it once had been. But nothing could change the past, so I remained mute.

Tsunade continued to bombard me with questions and threats, trying to break my silence; but I wouldn't budge. Eventually, she gave up, and escorted me back to my room. She placed a more permanent nametag on the door, in place of the scrap of paper that had resided there before. I was now Sakura Haruno, patient number six.


	4. Chapter 4 - Then

Ino and I walked steadily down to Medical Ninjutsu, ready for our second day of class, which would officially be our first day of lecture. I was so excited for the material that I had already read two weeks ahead in the textbook and had spent the previous night researching alternative methods to those discussed in mainstream text.

As we opened the door, a sense of unsteadiness gripped me. I remembered the previous day's encounter with Kakashi-sensei, and felt my hands clench ever so slightly, as if I was reliving the moment when our fingers brushed against one other. I shook my head to clear it of those thoughts. All of my focus had to be on the coursework, if I was to get into the anbu black ops program. Anyway, it was probably just nerves on the first day of class.

Regardless, I chose to sit farther away, in the second row for the lecture. I didn't want to catch any unnecessary attention, or look too much like a teacher's pet. I was known for being smart, for being the top kunoichi in our class, but I didn't want to be loathed by my fellow shinobi. I only wanted admiration for my work and to become a medical ninja, to help others.

The material for the day began with a short discussion of muscular anatomy, and then we turned our attention to the lab tables at the back of the room. Throughout the lecture, I kept my attention on my notebook, not acknowledging Kakashi-sensei's presence as anything more than the voice. My desk was a blur of my hands jotting down everything said, taking in each word as if it were worth its weight in gold.

For the laboratory section of that day's schedule, we paired off to dissect a human hand and identify the muscular components of each of the digits. Of course, I was paired with the worst person possible: Sasuke. _Ugh, of all of the possible people to be paired with. I'd almost rather take Naruto. _

I tried to hide my discontent, and worked quietly with my new lab mate. Sasuke's pale hands worked methodically, tearing skin away from the hand before moving to the muscles, further separating them from tendons, veins, and bone. I watched in awe; it was as if Sasuke was already an expert at these dissections and I was merely his pupil. I made a mental note to reread the material for today as soon as I got home.

My eyes were transfixed upon Sasuke's hands, until they stopped abruptly, hovering over the specimen's index finger. I looked up to see Sasuke glowering at me with loathing. "Are you going to do any of the work, or are you going to stare like an idiot?" He smirked as if he had said the wittiest thing ever. He probably thought that I was admiring his appearance, or attempting to flirt with him. Ino would have wasted no time on that if she were Sasuke's partner.

I felt the blood rush to my face in embarrassment. "Of course I'm going to contribute, you arrogant ass. I was just waiting for you to make an obvious mistake so that I could point it out," I scoffed, though we both knew that he wasn't going to make any mistakes. I crossed my arms around my chest in defiance. Huffing in response, Sasuke continued working on the specimen.

I began to create the labels and attach them to each muscle component, careful to not make any errors, because Sasuke would surely notice. Someone so arrogant would not outdo me. I looked over at the other groups and saw that we were far ahead of them. Even if I had to work with an arrogant ass, at least I knew that he would be competent and I wouldn't have to drag him along with the material.

Kakashi-sensei walked around the lab benches, monitoring our progress. As he did so, he handed out more papers, elucidating the projects that we would be working on for the next month. I looked at the white sheet with horror. It was a paired project, per lab bench.

* * *

"You're so lucky, Sakura-chan!" Ino squealed in jealousy. She leaned toward me across the large picnic table centered in the shinobi academy lunch area. "But you know Sasuke is all mine, so don't try anything." She whispered the last sentence through her teeth, a sickly threat placed for a false relationship.

"No need to worry, Ino-pig," I retorted. "I have no interest in a jerk like him anyway." Ino gasped, taken aback at my insult toward her crush, but she didn't make a point to call me out. No one could deny that Sasuke was a jerk, probably the biggest jerk at the shinobi academy. I changed the topic, "What is your project assignment? You have Naruto, right?"

Ino rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I have Naruto. Lucky me." She looked around to make sure no one was watching. "We got the reproductive system. Gross!" I chortled in amusement. Ino was going to suffer for this project, while I was going to be living her dream. "You're doing the circulatory system, hn?" I'm sure Ino would have died right at that moment if Sasuke and I had been the ones to work on the reproductive system. _Ha!_

It wasn't as if we had to recreate the system we were assigned, thought. It was simply a poster diagram, which we would manipulate with chakra to show the movement of energy through our system in relation to the rest of the body. Simple enough. I could just imagine Naruto drawing crude pictures of genitals all over Ino's poster, and I let out a small giggle.

"Hey," a dark voice called out from behind me. Ino's eyes widened as her cheeks turned flush, and I turned around to see Sasuke looming behind me. I stood up so as not to let him have the high ground. "I have to talk to you. About the project." He got straight to the point. Of course, I couldn't avoid interacting with him; the assignment was worth half of our final grade for this half of the year. I sighed and followed Sasuke his more remote table location.

"Okay, shoot," I said with an air of confidence.

He looked through me with eyes dulled over from boredom. "I don't want to spend more time on this than I have to, so let's meet up this weekend and get it done in one go."

"Fine. Is that all?" I leaned to one side and put a hand on my hip. If he was going to act tough, so was I. Sasuke didn't even bother to give me a response, and began to finish his bento lunch. _What a cocky, bastard!_ I stormed off, back to Ino, displeased with the predicament.

"So?" Ino questioned.

"I'm meeting him this weekend to get this stupid project over with." We continued our lunch with the usual drabble, gossiping about our classes and the people in them.


End file.
